Tag: #thefortunatenomad

Maybe this little sailor will soon be homeward bound. Or maybe not. Everything else pales at the moment while awaiting possibly life-changing decisions. One thing’s for sure though, I am truly ready to sail on home, my amazing wife and cats in tow.       

The last few days, well actually the last few years, I have thought a lot about the meaning of home. Many years ago a good friend moved to Africa, then Paris and then back to Zurich. I remember asking him curiously, “Why did you move back? Why didn’t you stay out there and explore more?”…

It’s time for another update on the publishing progress of ‘The Fortunate Nomad’. The keyword in all of this for me is PATIENCE as well as a very large dose of tenacity. So far I have sent manuscript submissions to 75 literary agents and publishing houses in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, etc.…

Every now and then I remember my birth dad who is somewhere out there and who I’ve never seen. I first heard about him when I was around twenty-three years old. At the time, I was both shaken as well as happy to find out about being half Southern Italian. (I guess that’s where all…

The last few months have felt a lot like climbing a larger-than-life Everest, with the hope that, at some time, the clouds will lift and there will be a sunny peak on which to rest my weary feet while enjoying the vista spreading out in all directions around me. Most days, I believe in my…

It’s 5 a.m. … and here I am, at Luqa International airport in Malta. In just an hour I’ll be heading to Heathrow and on to the London Book Fair. I must admit I have no concrete plans. So far, all info is quite disheartening. Agents and publishers are not interested in spontaneous talks with…

Pheeew, exciting times. Three days ago my laptop began to freeze continuously. I managed to reboot it one more time, copied all the latest files for my book onto a thumb drive and, five minutes later, the machine was as unresponsive as a brick wall. With lots of coaxing I was finally able to reboot…

All my life, I have not done things by halves. For as long as I can remember, I have given my very heart and soul to every single work project, no matter who for, no matter how small or big. I latch on like a bulldog to a juicy bone and don’t let go until…

Let me tell you a little about the progress of “The Fortunate Nomad”… my manuscript is, for the moment, as ready as it is going to get. After 14 months of intensive writing and two rounds of editing with the very talented, professional editor Monica Meneghetti, the 8th draft is finished. My story has 35…

On 23rd of January 2015 my incomparable lady and I got married. I have tried to write a longer text to go with this picture but, honestly, words are not enough right now. In time, I may write a whole book about us. We have been through a lot together already and we will continue…

I am going to the London Book Fair in April! And I am so excited! Receiving my eBadge, I felt like a little kid catching a glimpse of a bag full of colorful marbles… and soon I’ll go and play. This is going to sound very nerdy but all my life I have dreamed of…

Time is flying right now. So much is happening. I changed countries again. I changed jobs. And while trying to find my feet here on this beautiful rock called Malta, I am at the same time trying to find the time to write some excellent letters to dozens of agents and publishers. More than anything,…

Behind the red hammock you see the door to “B5”, my tiny staff quarters on the Maldivian island of Kuredu. They consisted of a room just big enough for a queen size bed and a wardrobe, and a tiny bathroom with a view of the equatorial sky. I loved this little home. Especially sitting on…

The last 10 years of nomadic life have brought me to three places starting with “Ma”: the Maldives, Macau, and now Malta. These names have sort of blurred together in my mind. You will find me sitting in a Maltese restaurant, asking the waitress, “So, what are your Maldivian specialties today?” Or I’ll take a…

Books have always meant the world to me. From as early as six years old, I used to read three to five books a week. And I’ve never stopped. Back in the early days, my grandma would laugh and say, “Slow down child, you’re devouring them, not reading them!” This passion of mine has always…

In the fall of 1995 I was still two years away from my gender alignment surgeries. I hid my boobs as well as I could. I practiced looking grim and – I thought – manly. I wore my hiking boots wherever I went. Looking back, I am surprised I didn’t wear them to bed as…

I can’t imagine a life without art – be it reading a book, going to an exhibition, watching ballet, dance, opera, theater, a movie, or listening to music… Then there is the joy of writing, photographing, drawing, painting and sculpting the odd piece myself. My entire spirit lifts whenever I invest myself fully in these…

In 1985, I went to a summer camp organized by a German environmentalist group. I met many Maltese youths there and one of them became a friend for life. I was fourteen at the time and, all of a sudden, the world wasn’t just a small disk anymore. My friend and I visited back and…

Today was the day: first day at work on the island of Malta for this ‘Fortunate Nomad’. Everything had happened so fast… one day interview on the phone in Germany… only three days later already in Malta… I was full of doubts when I went to my new place of work, hadn’t slept all night…

On New Year’s Eve in 2014, I celebrated with my Spanish friends in Macau, delighting in their tradition of eating a grape per second in sync with the midnight countdown. We entered into 2014 with the taste of sweet, mashed up grapes filling our mouths, accompanied by our heartfelt laughter and the hope that only…

Yesterday, it started snowing in Southern Germany. Lots of snow. I haven’t seen this much since childhood. When I woke up, the world around our lake was covered in a blanket of fresh snow. It was fantastic to walk through this winter-wonderland. I must admit, it got too cold pretty fast and I escaped indoors.…

Just in time for the festive season, I have finished the remaining small corrections to my manuscript today. It is now truly ready to be sent out to agents and publishers around the planet. As for life in general, my partner and I are enjoying the magic of a Central European Christmas. Just two days…

“I’m going to run off to an aquatic show in Macau, China!” I told my teammates in the Maldives in 2009 with a bright smile on my face. The next day, my staff picture in the dive center was lovingly decorated with this charming red clown’s nose. It’s been a hell of a ride since…

Exploring the Indian Ocean as a snorkel guide in 2005, I was happy. I still remember the soft sand, like a flowing, velvet carpet under the soles of my feet; the bright equatorial sun; the crisp, clean, salty air; and the many hues of turquoise and blue. Hermit crabs scuttled everywhere. Manta rays glided by…

It is done! As of tonight, my 5th draft is finished. All that remains for now is to read through the entire book one more time, do some minor cosmetics and check transitions between chapters. Then, just in time for Christmas, after fourteen months of continuous writing, my manuscript will be ready to be sent…

I am only days away from finishing my 5th draft. For the moment, I am keeping my working title, ‘The Fortunate Nomad’. But I am seriously thinking of something more metaphorically connected to my story. I want my readers to envision aquatic environments rather than camels and desert. ‘The Blue Line’ seems a good option.…

Two days ago, I was “on stage” for the first podiums discussion of my life. It was a very good, fascinating experience. Best of all, it moved something within me and gave me pause. Amidst differing opinions, I recognized my own stubbornness and realized my discussion partners and I all wanted the same, even had…

Just yesterday, I talked with another transgender man from Zurich, Switzerland. He asked me: Do you seek out other transgender people wherever you travel? And he proceeded to explain to me how much is wrong with the world; how we trans people are not understood as who we are; how society needs to change and…

A few days ago I passed by this beautiful old farmhouse. It was my very first home in Switzerland. I shared our half of the house with five amazing people who showed me what family and friendship are all about. We inspired each other, and were there for each other. Even though I stayed for…

I spent the last few days visiting family. it’s funny how we react to extremes. My dad grew up surrounded by family as far as the eye could see – parents, uncles, aunts, cousins… Since then, what he craves most is simply to be alone. I grew up having hardly any family at all. I…

This is my workspace for today, and all while visiting treasured friends in Zug, Switzerland. I am now working parallel on my 4th and 5th draft. Lots of revision to be done. I am still amazed by how crap my 3rd draft was… My lecturers at the art academy taught me well many years ago:…

This picture was taken only days after I came out at my workplace and announced, “I am actually a man and would like to be called Liam from now on.” Everyone embraced who I was. My employer gracefully ignored my big boobs and sent me to the tailor to get my very first tailor-made suit.…

This is my oma (German for grandma) with her best friend. Oma left us on 26th December 1996. Today, she would have turned 105 years old. Whatever happens, she will always live on in my memories – and in all of yours, I hope. My book will be dedicated to her. Everything you will read…

For a while, I was male in body but still female on paper. If I had to apply for any kind of official documents, people would usually look at me and say, “Why don’t you send your wife?” I would turn red like a tomato, stammer, and would hate every second of our exchange. A…

Nature is where I find myself and where I find balance. I can think of nothing more enlivening than my toes playing with the tender blades of fresh grass, or my feet sinking slowly into velvety, warm sand. This photo was taken during my time as a guide in the Maldives, eating lunch on a…

Once more, re-writing my chapters is taking much longer than I thought it would. I realize, I need to be patient, no matter how urgently I should be finished and start looking for work. I will keep dedicating my time, and let this (for now) final draft take however long it needs to take. Much…

Surrounded by turquoise oceans teeming with life, I often pondered one of my favorite quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien, “Not all those who wander are lost.” I had sometimes been lost before I had wandered. Ever since I had started exploring the world and myself in the process, I was definitely far from lost.       

Adolescence was difficult to say the least. I tried to fit in. But I wasn’t girl enough to be able to connect with other girls and I wasn’t boy enough to be accepted by other boys. So I decided early on to try and find virtue in being a loner. I immersed myself in books,…

As an adolescent, I was convinced that everything is important. Every move I made, every decision I pondered, every breath I took had to count for something and be a positive or at least a very profound statement. Naturally, I also expected the same from everyone else. Looking back, I can’t help but chuckle and…

Home is all about the people you meet on your journey. It’s the quintessential meaning of life. Additionally to relationships and friendships lasting a lifetime, I am humbled and awed by many encounters along my way. I remember a friend from Bangladesh who still works on the same island in the Maldives he has worked…

I am very happy to announce I just finished the 3rd draft of my book! Just in time too, since today my bags are packed and I am moving back to Europe. Germany and Switzerland at first, then who knows… September will be spent working very hard on the 4th draft. In October, the search…

Beginning of October 2013 I took a chance, left a very unsatisfying job in Hong Kong and decided to go after the dream of a lifetime: writing my memoirs. It’s been a very tough year. Against all odds – no luck with jobs and no income – my partner and I decided to stick it…

Frogfish. They are amazing: camouflaging themselves as sponges, striking at lightning speed by extending their jaws with one of the fastest muscle reflexes in nature, and last but not least, they are breathing through gills in their legs. We named this little man Pinocchio. He was a clumsy little fellow. Needing a base to hold…

My dear grandma Frida. In the picture, I am sixteen and Grandma is seventy-four. She was the steady rock of my childhood. Frida survived two world wars. The love of her life got run over by a train, shortly after they married each other and had a child. In the very conservative Germany of the…

Very early on, I started writing short stories and poems. It seems, I have started writing my first book at precisely the right moment… and in the process am finding meaning. I love how writing makes me happy, while at the same time enabling me to give something back to the world. It’s for life.…

The ocean – vast, energetic, calming, countless shades of turquoise and blue, salty, invigorating, and simply enchanting. For many years, I had been less than beautiful whenever I immersed myself, looking much like a drowning poodle. When I finally became an Advanced Open Water diver, something clicked. In a matter of days, I went from…

Sometimes we meet people for only moments, and they inspire us our whole lives. In 2004, I met the gentleman in the red sweater at a birthday party. He was the retired dad of the birthday girl, and had just hit seventy years of age. Being a true Swiss mountain boy, he had never left…